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It’s wedding season! I haven’t posted in awhile because I haven’t had many new items to share- most of my efforts have gone toward completing orders from brides and grooms with weddings on the horizon for their bridesmaids and groomsmen. Since the hand stamped initial bracelets and men’s monogrammed tie bars have been so popular with the brides and grooms, I thought that I would start selling them in groups instead of only individually, to give a bit of a discount on bulk orders. Hand stamped items like the sterling silver initial bracelets and the monogrammed tie clips below make great gifts for a group of people- especially for those people to whom you want to say thanks for supporting you on your way to and on your special day- whether that special day be your wedding, your graduation, or some other accomplishment for which you want to thank people for their support. Elegant yet versatile, both the tie clips and the bracelets will accessorize any outfit, whether it be formal or daily wear, and are a great personalized memento of whatever occasion you choose.

The Tie Clips feature the slightly larger Arial font for the initial of the surname, which in the traditional monogram style is the center letter, with a slightly smaller 2mm Typewriter Font for the initial of the first and middle names. I bend and cut the tie clips myself, so the size and length is totally up to the customer! These were made to fit the skinny ties of 6 groomsmen and a groom- I’ve requested pictures from the wedding, so hopefully I’ll be able to post them soon!

I’ve also started offering FREE gift packaging with each order- customers can choose what ribbon color they’d like or can choose twine. This one below is what one of the grooms chose for his gift packaging.

The hand stamped sterling silver initial bracelets are done with a 6 mm font called Seymour, which is a type of monogram font. I can’t wait to see (and post) the pictures from this wedding as well!

And here is the gift packaging that one of the brides chose for her bracelets:

Thanks for reading & I hope you like my new additions to the lakeshore lavaliere collection!

To access the listings in thelakeshore lavaliere online shop….. Just click the pictures!

Although the countdown to finals (and having to come up with a 30 page paper on the meaning of justice…ahhhh) is less than a week away, I have gotten a chance in my free time (the time I have cut out of my sleeping schedule) to experiment with some more hand stamped pieces as well as some more bohemian pieces (WHICH I WILL POST TOMORROW…or the next day), which I haven’t been doing as much, and plan to do more of as soon as I have time to breathe again. So, since I haven’t posted in awhile, I thought I would post a few of my newer pieces below, and get back to studying/having writer’s block.

‘Let it Be’ Beatles Necklace

This first necklace is one that I’ve been meaning to make for a long time-Let it Be is one of my favorite songs! I have really wanted to start branching out into song lyrics and more actual words and quotes in the hand stamped category, so, if anyone has any suggestions for words or lyrics to hand stamp into a necklace, ring, bracelet, or even keychain, I’m listening! -and I’ll give you a discount for the idea ; ) .

Monogrammed Necklaces w/ Swarovski Birthstones

The next two necklaces are monogrammed brass and sterling silver, respectively. The brass necklace hangs on a satin finish 16-inch brass chain with a gold-filled trigger clasp, and the sterling silver necklace hangs on a 16 inch sterling silver chain with a sterling silver clasp. I know I have done the monogrammed necklaces and other pieces before, but I just finally got in Swarovski Crystal of each month’s birthstone, and I’m excited to say that although these were only listed for a day, I already was commissioned to do 2 sets of them (one in brass and one in sterling silver) as gifts from two brides-to-be to their bridesmaids, with each of their birthstones along with the monogram. (Of course I get the big orders during finals! Buttt… I am NOT complaining!). Also, in case you were wondering, these are both February birthdays with a Swarovski amethyst crystal.

Mother’s Day Hand Stamped Necklace

Finally, I realized that I am not only a terrible daughter because I won’t be able to make it to Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday, a family tradition, but also because I hadn’t gotten my mom anything yet. So, I decided to make her a necklace. The necklace below is a solid brass wavy heart pendant hanging on a 16 inch satin finish brass chain. On the heart, I stamped a symbol of a mother and child- the mother is bending over and hugging the child, and a heart is created in the space between them. I saw the metal stamp and HAD to have it- I loved it, and I knew my mom would too. Bam. the perfect sentimental gift for Mom. Now I have to get back to studying ; (

Hope you like them & thanks for reading!

To access the listings in thelakeshore lavaliere online shop….. Just Click the Pictures!

The lakeshore lavalierehand stamped brass initial/monogrammed ring, hand stamped sterling silver initial ring, & the hand stamped nickel & stainless steel initial/monogrammed ringare the two most popular items in the lakeshore lavaliere online shop, so I decided to make them in bangle form! I wanted to make a bangle that was different from most I’ve had in the past in 2 ways. First,I wanted it to be a better fit to the wrist in terms of shape, which was a problem easily solved by purchasing an oval bracelet mandrel, one that sizes bracelets to fit the actual shape of your wrist instead of just a circle. I’m so happy I bought the oval one because from the feedback I’ve gotten, the bracelets actually fit the wrist perfectly, because they are tailored to right size and shape. Second, I wanted to make a bangle that didn’t have to slip over the hand because in my experience, those usually end up completely upside down with the monogrammed/initialed disc on the bottom of my wrist. This happens because when there is no clasp, bangles have to be bigger to fit over your hand, and then they slip around on your wrist when you wear them. This is fine if the bangle has a uniform design, but if there is one part that is supposed to be on top, it’s a real pain. So I decided to create my bangles with a clasp on the bottom to avoid this problem.I designed a clasp that keeps the bracelet on your wrist while wearing it and that makes it easier to put the bracelet on and take it off. And, since the first bangle pictured below is mine and I’ve been wearing it pretty much daily, I’m happy to say that the clasp does exactly what I wanted- it keeps the bangle clasped (obvi), allows for the bangle to be the right size for my wrist, and keeps the monogrammed part in place on top of my wrist where it belongs. The lakeshore lavaliere monogrammed banglealso comes in both a brass and sterling silver bangle with a simple initial.

Hope you like them & thanks for reading!

To access the listings in thelakeshore lavaliere online shop….. Just Click the Pictures!

Bohemian accessories have always been a draw for me; lakeshore lavalierewas definitely borne out of a love for all things bohemian and colorful coupled with a desire to make jewelry and accessories to reflect that love. Obviously if you have read this blog or checked out my etsy shop you’ll see that I have definitely expanded my creative interest to encompass making pieces that are also classic, minimalistic, and/or personalized. I’m having a great time exploring these other interests and creating new and different pieces in new and different styles every day, but I thought that I would go back to my bohemian stylistic roots to create this pair of brass leaf turquoise drop earrings:

To make these earrings, I first hammered out the brass leaves to flatten them & make them easier for my tools to grip. To hang the turquoise gemstone drops from the brass leaves, I punched 3 holes in the bottom of each leaf (with my new metal punching tool that I LOVE LOVE LOVE) through which I looped the brass pin findings. I punched 1 hole in the top of each leaf from which I then hung the respective earring wires. The vibrant gold tone of the brass coupled with the brightness of the turquoise gemstones makes these earrings a bold fashion statement- just keep in mind that less is more when deciding what other accessories to wear!See: tangent on overaccessorizing below.

Jewelry-Accessorizing Style Tips/Rant/Tangent
Earrings are one of my favorite accessories- especially chandelier or large dangle earrings. Large sized dangle earrings in the chandelier design are a bold style choice & and can be a great way to accent any outfit as long as you remember to keep other accessories to a minimum.Example: don’t wear large chandelier earrings with a huge/chunky necklace. Even if the earrings and necklace are individually elegant/classy/beautiful, the jewelry will overwhelm you and even appear tacky. A necklace and dangle earrings are definitely okay to wear together- just remember that a little goes a long way. You want the jewelry to accent your features, not overwhelm you like this painful-to-look-at picture of the witch from Hocus Pocus (okay, I know her name is Sarah Jessica Parker but I’m mad at her for this horrendous jewelry nightmare and because I’m in love with Matthew Broderick…so she will heretofore be know only as the witch from Hocus Pocus):

BUT, I DIGRESS.

To order, or to access the Brass Leaf Turquoise Earrings in the lakeshore lavaliere online shop….. Just Click the Pictures!

The sterling silver supplies are finally here, and I just wanted to post a few pictures of the new lakeshore lavaliere sterling silver necklaces along with new monogrammed brass necklaces complete with more available fonts that I just purchased- Monogram & Typewriter!

Click the Pictures to access this listing in the lakeshore lavaliere online shop! (At checkout you can specify the initials you would like on yours!)

I have been thinking about what I wanted to give my mom this Christmas, and I knew I wanted it to be something personal. Since her favorite thing in the world is our family, I thought I would make a necklace for her that incorporated the names of our family. (Even though I am posting it here, I know it will still be a surprise because she would never have any idea how to get to this blog ). This brass necklace is stamped with all of our names, and is like a little family tree; my parents’ initials are stamped in the middle on the brass blank, and my name and my sister’s name are stamped around the outside of the washer:

These make great holiday gifts for a mother or a grandmother!

To access this listing in the lakeshore lavaliere online store, just click the pictures!

OR

go to etsy.com/shop/lakeshorelavaliere & shop and browse the other listings

This raw brass hand stamped necklace was made by hand stamping the letters into a brass washer. I punched a hole through the washer and through the domed, dapped (dapping is when you use a hammer, here I used the reverse side of a ball peen hammer, to texture a piece of metal) brass blank that I place behind the washer. Adding the blank behind the washer created the contrast that I was looking for to offset the brushed matte finish of the washer. I used an oxidation process to darken the letters so that they really stand out against the gold tone of the brass. I wanted a necklace that was only gold toned so that it would go with any color combination I decide to wear. I didn’t want the necklace to be too plain, so I thought I would play around with the washers and blanks I just got in, the dapping hammer, and my alphabet metal hand stamps, and this necklace was the result:

These necklaces make a great gift for the upcoming holidays. Hand stamped jewelry leaves a deep impression and is made to last, unlike the shallow impressions of engravings. Hand stamped jewelry also has character, as no two pieces can ever be exactly the same— and I’m obsessed with making it!

To access the listing in the lakeshore lavaliere online shop, just click the pictures!

OR

Go to etsy.com/shop/lakeshorelavaliere and click on the metal stamped jewelry section, or browse around!

For Inquiries/Requests/Custom Orders, Contact: lakeshorelavaliere@gmail.com OR go to my shop page, and click the contact button on the left side of the page to etsy convo me.

Thanks for reading!

More hand stamped pieces will be available this week- tie clips included!

Monogrammed jewelry is a great way to give a personal gift for any occasion- or for no occasion at all like this lakeshore lavaliere gold tone hand-stamped brass ring:

This hand stamped gold tone brass ring was a gift for my roommate, who is also the lovely hand model you see in the pictures below. After stamping the blank with her initials, I used the oxidation process that I mentioned in my last post to really make sure the letters were a nice and dark contrast to the rest of the blank. Then, I punched two holes to slip the wire through in order to anchor the blank to the wire ring base & added a metal & jewelry adhesive as well to create a firmer hold. I made the ring’s base from gold tone non-tarnish copper 18-gauge wire, which is definitely the wire I prefer to work with because it doesn’t nick every time you touch it with a tool like most other jewelry/craft wires.

I’ve always loved all things monogrammed, and this ring was a fun way to be able to give a gift to the girl who is bravely entering her third year of sharing a residence with me. Next up: a ring for my other roommate.

These rings are available in any size, in silver, and can be personalized with anyone’s initials (or a word or name as long as it is short enough to fit on the blank!)

To access the listing in the lakeshore lavaliereonline store, just click the pictures!

OR

go to etsy.com/shop/lakeshorelavaliere to browse the different shop sections

For Inquiries/Requests/Custom Orders, you can contact me by email at lakeshorelavaliere@gmail.com

OR

etsy convo me to get a custom order going right away. (go to my etsy.com shop, and click the ‘contact seller’ button on the menu on the left-hand side of the screen)